Work package 9 Interview study

Phase 3 of the project consists of an Interview study. This has recently been completed. The Executive Summary of the Interview Study Research Report can be can be downloaded here.

The objectives of the Interview Study were:

    * to further understanding of motherhood and fatherhood from a gendered life course perspective together with an examination of the transition to parenthood.
    *  to examine the gendered experiences of combining waged work and children, and parents’ work-family strategies, for example the extent to which employees make the boundaries between work and family life permeable or keep the two spheres separate
    *  to identify the strategies parents adopt and the resources they draw upon (family, friends, workplace and public policy, especially parental leave ) in the context of different organisational contexts and practices, and in relation to employee contractual status (including temporary workers) and different national welfare regimes
    *  to examine the relationship between different work-family strategies and well-being
    *  to explore in gendered terms parents’ current perspectives with their professed expectations on combining parenthood and waged work

Methodology

In depth interviews were conducted with employees aged 25-39 some of whom were on or about to go on parental leave and others who were already parents. There were 10 interviews per organisation together with employees’ partners, with up to 40 interviews per country. A biographical approach was adopted in the interview design and analysis.

Findings

National reports on the interview study were produced, and consolidated into a cross-national report. Download the Executive Summary is English and in Dutch.

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